Read-alikes and related books

Books like Sarny

Readers who finished Sarny by Gary Paulsen and wanted more will find 24 strong picks here, all connected by Prejudice & Racism, Civil War Period (1850-1877), African American & Black, and People & Places.

Prejudice & Racism Civil War Period (1850-1877) African American & Black People & Places Young Adult Fiction Social Themes United States Historical

Top related books to Sarny

Strong read-alikes chosen for how closely they echo the themes and feel of Sarny.

Deathless Divide

Justina Ireland

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

Black was the Ink

Michelle Coles

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

If I Should Die Before I Wake

Han Nolan

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

An American Story

Kwame Alexander

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

The Land

Mildred D. Taylor

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

Solomon

Marilyn Bishop Shaw

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

Nightjohn

Gary Paulsen

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

Do You Know Them? Families Lost and Found After the Civil War

Shana Keller

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

Addy: Finding Freedom

Connie Porter

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

#10

Unbound A Novel in Verse

Ann Burg

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

#11

Up the Learning Tree

Marcia K. Vaughan

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

#12

The Door of No Return

Kwame Alexander

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

#13

Promises to the Dead

Mary Downing Hahn

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

#14

The Ever-After Bird

Ann Rinaldi

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black

#15

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy A Newbery Honor Award Winner

Gary D. Schmidt

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

#16

The Road to Memphis

Mildred D. Taylor

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

#17

A Sitting in St. James

Rita Williams-Garcia

Themes: Civil War Period (1850-1877) • African American & Black • People & Places

#18

The Queen’s Spade

Sarah Raughley

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

#19

Queenie Godmother of Harlem

Elizabeth Colomba

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

#20

Inventing Victoria

Tonya Bolden

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

#21

The Game of Love and Death

Martha Brockenbrough

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

#22

Copper Sun

Sharon M. Draper

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

#23

New Boy

Julian Houston

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

#24

Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree

Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani

Themes: Prejudice & Racism • African American & Black • People & Places

This list brings together 24 books that share meaningful common ground with Sarny by Gary Paulsen. Connected by Prejudice & Racism, Civil War Period (1850-1877), African American & Black. Authors featured include Justina Ireland, Michelle Coles, Han Nolan, Kwame Alexander, and others. Each pick was selected for thematic and literary overlap — not just genre similarity.